Summer Reading List from the 1980s
Books I was too young to read, but stole from my mother's bookcase anyway
Summer always makes me think of reading. When I was a child, I loved going to the library and picking up my form to join the summer reading program. Later, when I was a teenager, summer was when I could read whatever I wanted instead of the books assigned in school.
As I outgrew children’s books, I usually raided my mom’s bookshelf for my summer reading, which meant I was often reading something inappropriate for my age, but my mom was desperate to feed my voracious reading appetite and so decided to let me have free reign. Here are a few of the books I remember reading in my early teen years.
Sacajawea by Anna Lee Waldo
A historical fiction book based on the Shoshone guide who traveled with Lewis and Clark. I loved this book then but now know it was a white-washed version of Sacajawea’s life. (I also found out, while researching this essay, that Anna Lee Waldo was accused of plagiarizing quite a bit of the text.) It was the first book I read that my Mom and I discussed as equals-I felt like it marks the moment I reached reading maturity and my interpretations and discussions of the book with my Mom felt very adult.
This summer, I’m planning to read The Lost Journals of Sacajawea by Debra Magpie Earling. It’s also a fictional account of Sacajawea’s life but challenges the previous narratives about the guide. I’ll be studying with the author at a writing retreat in July and cannot wait. It feels like I am coming full circle with this topic. First when I was entering womanhood and now as I enter cronehood.
The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel
I remember sitting beside a stream on Mammoth Mountain on a hot summer day in the early eighties reading this book. My dad was by the stream fishing and my mom, who was also reading, lazily rolled over and asked him why he didn’t just throw the whole tackle box into the stream instead of going to the trouble of tying the hooks and lures to the fishing pole and losing them in the water, one at a time. It was one of those moments when you realize your parents have a relationship beyond you, that they laugh and tease and love each other, they aren’t just your parents.
And the book? Well, it was HOT! I mean I learned a lot about sex reading that book. When my mom and talked about the book we would stick to the prehistoric facts, we never mentioned the sex scenes to each other. But I think we both knew it was another milestone in my journey into womanhood.
The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
I was on a beach with my family in the mid-1980s when I read this book. I was angry at my parents for dragging me away from my friends and being a pill, so my mom threw this book across the beach blanket and told me to be quiet and read.
It also had some serious sex scenes in it (What was my mother thinking?), but I also remember being fascinated by the historical information about how the cathedrals of Europe were built. I still think about the book whenever I’m in one of them. I think of the hundreds of years it took to build them in the Middle Ages, without modern machinery.
When I visited the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona in the early 1990s, I thought about Pillars of the Earth. I was overcome by the idea that I was standing in a cathedral that was still in the process of being built. At that time, they were 100 years into the building of it and were estimating it would take another 30 years. (It’s supposed to be completed in 2026.)
Five Things I Love About Summer in 2026
Inspired by my memories of the long summer days of reading I spent in my youth,I am fully embracing the idea of summer vacation this year. I’m arranging my schedule to ensure that I have plenty of time to read, watch movies, and play. Here are a few things that I’m obsessed with right now:
Orbital by Samantha Harvey
This book was the most beautifully written book I’ve read in a long time. It was a Booker Prize winner in 2024 and I’m not surprised. It’s a fictional account of the day in the lives of six astronauts on the International Space Station. There’s not really a plot, you just follow the characters through their days and musings and yet, somehow, it is fascinating. The writing makes you feel weightless, almost as though you are drifting in space, unrestrained by gravity. I came out of every reading session feeling the same way I do when I meditate.
A Mending by Shin Yin Khor
I’ve recently become obsessed with “keepsake games”. These are games that lead you through journey of creating something-a piece of art, a story. One of the artists who started the concept is Shin Yin Khor and, being the embroidery artist I am, I couldn’t resist her A Mending game. Each day, I spend a little time playing it and the world slows down. It’s even inspiring me to think about possibly creating a keepsake game for all of my paid readers, here on Substack. Stay tuned.
Making and Eating S’mores
We recently had an excellent evening at my fellow Substacker, Kaarin’s house. She had a new fire pit to break-in so her daughter made marshmallows, I made homemade graham crackers, and we had the best night of the summer so far. I used the recipe from Ivy Manning’s book, Crackers and Dips in case you were wondering how to make graham crackers.
Frosè All Day
I’m looking for a reason to whip-up this recipe, combining frozen strawberries and Rosè wine. Then I’m going to sit and in my backyard, read, and sip.
Cyndi Lauper in Concert
When my daughter was a little girl, we would sing Girls Just Wanna Have Fun in the car when were out together. I can still see her, sitting in her car seat, singing it in her sweet toddler voice. So of course, we bought tickets to see Cyndi in her Farewell Tour in August. I cannot wait. If you don’t have a chance to see her in concert, there’s a good documentary about her, called Let the Canary Sing, you can watch one afternoon when it’s too hot to go outside.
I hope you make time to play this summer too. Tell me what you are up to!
So much fun in this post! Frozen sounds tasty and Orbital has been on my radar!
I love reading The Cozy Library. Regarding Orbital, have you seen the documentary Countdown? It's either on Prime or Netflix and I really loved every minute of it.
I also love S'Mores; no surprise to you I'm certain. I sometimes make them in the microwave.
Keep up the good work, my friend.